


first light

by midnightfreeway



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: M/M, Okinawa, Vacation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-02
Updated: 2017-06-02
Packaged: 2018-11-07 23:22:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,917
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11069205
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/midnightfreeway/pseuds/midnightfreeway
Summary: On the way back to the hotel, Yuuri falls asleep on the passenger seat, face illuminated on and off by the passing streetlights outside. Victor looks at him out of the corner of his eye, hands steady on the steering wheel, and thinks,I’m going to marry this man.





	first light

Kume Island looks like a place where time has stopped, Victor thinks. Weather-beaten buildings, endless fields, exotic trees. It’s Victor’s first time in Okinawa; he’s happy to be here. The last seven days have been more than eventful. This time a week ago, they had just arrived in Helsinki, ready for the most important competition of the season. That time seems so far away now, like a half-forgotten dream.

Victor winds down the car window and watches the landscape roll by, an endless blur of greens and blues and grays. They’re not going to stay here for long – four, five days before it’s time to fly back to Hasetsu and start packing for the move to St. Petersburg. Yuuri deserves a short vacation. He has a fantastic season behind him; all his hard work has paid off. 

In the hotel parking lot, they run into a group of young Japanese women. They’re wearing flowy dresses and wide-brimmed hats; their sandals make little slapping sounds on the asphalt, quick and soft. Victor will never forget the look on their faces when they spot Yuuri, the way their eyes go wide and their mouths fall open, disbelief and confusion clear in their expressions. After the initial surprise fades, the women come closer, eyes flickering between Victor and Yuuri. 

“Congratulations to the new World Champion!” one of them says to Yuuri with a smile.

Yuuri flushes at this, fidgeting with the strap of his backpack. Then, he nods, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “Thank you so much.”

Victor’s chest swells with pride. He can’t take his eyes off Yuuri. Even here, on this little island in the middle of nowhere. Even here. 

\--

The restaurant is dated in a charming way: red leather chairs, framed calligraphy paintings, colorful plastic tablecloths. The radio is playing an old Japanese pop song. The place is empty, save for a middle-aged Japanese couple talking in hushed voices at a corner table. 

Yuuri and Victor take a table by the window. The afternoon sun filters in through the stained glass, creating patterns of light on the tiled floor.

“How hot is it here?” Victor asks. “Twenty-five degrees? I feel like I’m melting.” He can feel sweat trickling down his back; the humidity makes his shirt stick to his skin. 

Yuuri snorts. “You should come here in August. You remember how hot Hasetsu is in August?”

“Ice Castle is cool,” Victor says. “Pleasantly so.”

Yuuri looks down at his glass with a smile on his face. “We’ve spent a lot of time there, haven’t we?”

Victor hums in agreement. “Time for a break.”

The song ends, and another one starts. Funky mid-tempo beat, deep bassline, mellow brass sound. Sounds very eighties, Victor thinks. A smooth female voice fills the restaurant. Yuuri perks up when he hears it, eyes bright.

“I know this song,” he says. “My mom used to listen to it all the time when I was little. She says it reminds her of her own childhood.”

He’s bobbing his head to the music, a small smile playing over his lips. Victor folds his arms on the table and tries to make out the lyrics. He doesn’t understand everything -- a few words here, a sentence there. The woman’s voice is deep and pleasant, easy to listen to. Then, she sings in clear English, _I love you so_ , and the light in Yuuri’s eyes is warm and gentle. 

Victor lets out a long exhale. He doesn’t have to guess the meaning anymore. 

\--

When they get to the beach, Yuuri takes off his shoes and socks and sits down near the edge of the water. Victor joins him, digging his heels into the sand and crossing his arms over his knees.

The sunset paints the sky with vibrant colors, deep gold fading into brilliant orange and brilliant orange into pale blue. The rhythmic roar of the waves creates a hypnotic background, familiar and foreign all at once. 

It’s such a bizarre contrast. Victor thinks back to last week, memories flashing through his mind. Noisy crowds, packed hallways, crowded locker rooms. Here, the beach seems to go on forever: miles and miles of untouched white sand, no sign of people anywhere. If they were the only people on Earth, this is what it would be like.

Yuuri lies down on the sand, eyes fluttering shut. He looks completely relaxed; there’s no tension in his muscles. Victor inhales and smiles and never wants to leave this beach.

\--

On the way back to the hotel, Yuuri falls asleep on the passenger seat, face illuminated on and off by the passing streetlights outside. Victor looks at him out of the corner of his eye, hands steady on the steering wheel, and thinks, _I’m going to marry this man._

The night sky seems to stretch on endlessly above them, a rich blanket of blue velvet. The sea is calm tonight, the gentle lapping of waves creating a soothing melody that eases the tension from Victor’s body. The road is empty as far as he can see, stretching far into the distance, towards the sea and the mountains.

Victor breathes in the salty sea air. The breeze ruffles Yuuri’s hair, sending strands flying in all directions.

It’s surreal, really, the whole moment. If this were any other year, Victor would be back from Worlds, alone in his empty apartment, relieved that the season is over but at the same time dreading the summer ahead. Now, he’s on an island he didn’t even know existed until two weeks ago, with his fiancé dozing off beside him, temple pressed against the half-open window. Victor’s heart has never been so full.

The glow of traffic lights in the distance. They’re almost back to the hotel now. Victor thinks about carrying Yuuri back to their room, imagines hugging him against his chest, Yuuri’s body warm and snug and languid, but Yuuri wakes up as he’s pulling into the parking lot, sitting up straighter and blinking heavily. 

As soon as they’re back in their room, Yuuri strips down to his underwear, leaving a trail of clothes from the door to the bed. Victor couldn’t care less about cleanliness. He pulls off his shirt and kicks off his jeans, sighing as he slides under the covers beside Yuuri. He puts his head on the pillow and rolls over to face Yuuri. The cotton sheets feel cool against his skin, smooth like water. A fan hums in the corner, sending gusts of air across the room.

They lie in silence for what feels like an eternity, the tips of their noses almost touching, legs tangled under the covers. Yuuri studies Victor’s face, eyes half-lidded and lazy.

“Viten’ka,” he says, voice small but clear. Victor can count the times Yuuri has said that word on one hand. Yuuri’s pronunciation is slightly off, still not perfect, and yet it’s the most beautiful thing Victor has ever heard. A sob threatens to break free from his chest, but he doesn’t cry, not in front of Yuuri, not tonight.

“You’re tired,” Victor says, almost whispering this. “Go to sleep, Yuuri.”

“Don’t wanna,” Yuuri says. He closes his eyes anyway, sighing as he rubs his cheek against the pillow. 

Victor’s looks at Yuuri’s face, taking in all the details: messy strands, quivering eyelashes, parted mouth. A sudden rush of affection overwhelms him, almost frightening in its intensity. 

“My darling,” Victor says in Russian, pronouncing this slowly and carefully, lips caressing each syllable. 

The corners of Yuuri’s mouth twitch into a sleepy smile. His eyes flutter open. Yuuri’s Russian vocabulary consists of about twenty words. Most of them are endearments. Victor makes sure Yuuri understands the meaning of each new word, just to let him know how loved he is, just to see this: the spark of realization in his eyes, the soft _oh_ that escapes his lips, the smile that tugs at the corners of his mouth. 

Yuuri reaches for Victor’s hand under the covers, their fingers entwining. Victor has never felt more alive than he does right now, right here. 

\--

The room is still dark when Victor opens his eyes, the first light of dawn filtering through the window. He reaches out for Yuuri, but his side of the bed is empty, the sheets rumpled and the blanket thrown back. The bed feels cold without him, too big. The balcony door is ajar, the curtains moving slightly in the early morning breeze. Victor gets up and goes to the door.

Yuuri has pushed his chair to the edge of the balcony. He’s leaning on the railing, chin resting on his arms, watching the dawn break over the horizon. He turns his head when Victor sits down beside him, perking up.

“Did I wake you up?”

“No. Not really.”

Yuuri looks back at the sea. Victor can hear cicadas singing in the trees around the hotel. The air is still cool from the night, but the day is going to be warm and sunny, beautiful.

“New beginnings,” Yuuri says, without looking away from the horizon.

“Mm?”

“I associate this time of year with new beginnings. The start of school. The awakening of nature. Things like that.”

“Really?” Victor asks. “I have always seen this time of year as an ending. The season is over, and the summer is still months away.”

“That’s one way to look at it, I guess,” Yuuri says. 

“I don’t know how to look at it any other way.” Victor lowers his head and smiles, but the telltale ache in his heart is too painful to ignore.

The darkness is fading away quickly now, the sky turning into a mixture of golden yellow and blue. Victor can taste the salt of the sea on his tongue, hear the cries of seagulls overhead. 

“Last year was the best new beginning for me.” Yuuri looks thoughtful as he says this. His eyes are fixed on something in the distance, the light in the horizon. 

“Why?” Victor knows the answer already. The anticipation makes his skin tingle and heart race.

“Because that’s when you came into my life.” Yuuri glances at him, smile warm on his face.

“Oh, Yuuri,” Victor says, chest welling up with emotion. 

“This year is good, too,” Yuuri says. “You’re coming back. Aren’t you?”

“Yes,” Victor says. “I want to.” He has a lot of new ideas – for his programs, for training, for everything. He’ll have to see what Yakov thinks about his music choices.

Yuuri looks at him again. “See? New beginnings.”

Victor can’t help but smile. “I like the way you think.” 

“It gives me hope,” Yuuri says. “That’s what gets me through tough times. Hope.”

“Mm.” Victor’s heart aches again, this time for a different reason. 

Yuuri gives him a reassuring smile. “I feel a lot better now. Better than I have in a long time.”

“Me too,” Victor says, and it feels good and right and true.

Victor turns his head and looks far into the horizon. Yuuri has been talking about a spring wedding in Hasetsu. Victor has always found the idea appealing, but today, it brings tears to his eyes, a lump to his throat. He can’t imagine a better way to celebrate their special day: the sky light and clear, the smell of spring heavy in the air, cherry blossoms in full bloom. 

Yuuri smiles to himself, eyelashes fluttering against his cheeks. Victor leans over the railing, closes his eyes and lets the first rays of sunlight hit his face.


End file.
